Mississippi grand jury indicts 2 arrested in connection with murder of Louisiana woman, kidnapping of her daughters
Daniel Callihan is accused of killing the children’s mother, Callie Brunett, at her home in Loranger, Louisiana, and abducting the two girls, according to Louisiana authorities. The 4-year-old girl was found dead and the 6-year-old suffered injuries.
A Hinds County grand jury indicted Callihan on seven counts, including capital murder, kidnapping and sexual battery, while his accused accomplice, Victoria Cox, was indicted on three counts, including capital murder, kidnapping and sexual battery, records show.
Both Callihan and Cox, who were arrested on June 13 and June 14, were also indicted by a grand jury in Louisiana in the case last month.
An attorney representing Callihan on the charges in Louisiana told CNN he could not comment on the indictment in Mississippi. CNN could not locate legal representation for Callihan in Mississippi.
Cox’s Hinds County public defender, Christopher Routh, told CNN in an emailed statement: “An indictment is nothing more than a formal charge and is no indication of guilt or culpability. Every person charged or accused of a crime in this country is presumed innocent. Ms. Cox maintains her innocence and will plead Not Guilty at her arraignment.”
The case prompted investigators to issue an Amber Alert for the children hours before police found them more than 100 miles away in Jackson, Mississippi.
Investigators said the wooded area where the children were found, which had small cages and small wiring enclosures, could be tied to human trafficking, CNN previously reported.
A GoFundMe created “in loving support of the Brunett family in a time of unimaginable suffering” has raised more than $62,000.
CNN’s Jason Hanna, Jamiel Lynch, Elizabeth Wolfe, Mallika Kallingal, Sarah Dewberry and Ashley R. Williams contributed to this report.
Us, as a community, have been closely following the developments in this tragic case. We hope for a swift and just resolution, recognizing that both the accused individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
